New jobs coming to Newport News

"Major" announcement expected on Tuesday

NEWPORT NEWS — The city will roll out the red carpet for a "major economic development announcement" Tuesday.

Virginia Secretary of Commerce Jim Cheng will be on hand for an 11 a.m. presentation at the Marriott Hotel and Conference Center at City Center. City officials, including Mayor McKinley Price, as well as company officials from a business that is not yet being revealed, are expected to attend.

Florence Kingston, the city's economic development director, said details of the announcement couldn't be made public prior to Tuesday, but that it was "exciting" news representing a significant number of new jobs for the Peninsula.

"It's something we've been working on for two years," Kingston said. "As the economy improves, it's always good to be talking about new investment and new employment opportunities on the Peninsula. These will be good-paying jobs."

Kingston said the weak economy of the past few years slowed progress on the deal, and said there was competition for the jobs from other cities.

"You never presume that you've got it in the bag," Kingston said. "You try to do the best that you can."

Despite the economic rough patch, the city has had some good economic news in recent years, including the expansion at Canon Virginia, Jefferson Lab receiving $3 million for equipment upgrades and the Apprentice School project in downtown Newport News.

Councilman Bert Bateman said he's looking forward to Tuesday.

"I am pleased that our ongoing efforts to attract businesses and business expansion have been successful," Bateman said. "I hope to see more of those."

Bateman said once the national economy improves, there should be even more activity in Newport News, but he's concerned about the effects of potential defense cutbacks on the shipyard, a major defense contractor. If Congress doesn't come to an agreement, automatic spending cuts that will substantially affect the defense budget will go into effect on March 1.

Economic announcement coming

Virginia Secretary of Commerce Jim Cheng will be on hand for a "major economic development announcement" at 11 a.m. on Tuesday at the Marriott Hotel and Conference Center at City Center in Newport News. The event is by invitation only.